An Irrevocable Affair
by Arlesanna
Summary: Olivier Athos is a heir to Pinon international - one of the largest legal firms in UK. Anne De Breuil is a member of a team of con Artists, led by Saracen. Their plans cross one fateful morning in Starbucks where he is on a mission to get his morning coffee and she is on a mission full stop. From that moment on trouble ensues.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've had this idea of an AU story for a ****while - hope you enjoy it) R&amp;R please)**

**x. A.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The coffee intro.**

"Good Morning, Sir, what would you like to drink?" Anne smiled wholeheartedly. Being undercover didn't mean doing her fake job wrong. Especially since it was a beautiful morning indeed.

"The usual" A male voice grumbled, said male not bothering to look up at her.

Anne sighed. "It's my first day here, Sir. Could you please specify?" She flashed him her best smile.

The "Sir's" in question eyes shot up at the sound of her voice and he stared at her for a second, his glare extremely disapproving, her smile fading slowly. "Erm… I'll have to call my assistant." He said, looking at her like it was her fault he didn't know his own order. A second later he was already speaking into the phone. "Hello, Mary, I need to know my usual Starbucks order." He frowned a the reply. "Find it then!"

Anne shared a small understanding smile with the young woman in line just behind him - it was quite obvious he was holding the whole queue up but nothing was to be done - the Starbucks code of honour explicitly forbade being cross with the customers.

"A tall, triple-shot whole-milk, dry cappuccino." He said after several gruelling seconds, hanging up on the poor Mary without as much as thanking her. His undivided attention belonged to his Blackberry once again as he began typing something quickly. "Make it extra hot." He added and Anne realised it was meant for her.

She scribbled his order down on the cup, annoyed but his lack of regard and the very tone of his voice. It was like he was… entitled. Funny, how people look at you when you're a plain barista. No man would use this tone with her when she played the duchess in York last year.

"And your name?" She enquired, her tone several degrees colder as she eyed the man. He was engrossed in his phone and for some reason she thought he could have treated her the same had she been in a duchess attire. He surely looked like someone too full of himself to care about others' opinion of him. Just the type Anne abhorred.

Finally he looked up from his blackberry, realising he was being watched. "I'm sorry?" he asked and it was obvious he was not sorry one bit, just bewildered by the fact she'd dare ask him questions.

Anne smiled once again, but this time her expression was fake and she didn't try to hide it. "Your name, Sir?"

"Olivier." She hurried to scribble it down on the cup and hurried off to make the coffee.

"_Asshole_" she thought.

"I apologise for holding you all up this morning." She heard his voice once again as he adressed the queue. "Make sure all their orders are on me."

"Yes, Mister Athos." The cashier smiled at him and Anne poured the scorching hot milk into his coffee, annoyed all over again.

A couple of gruelling minutes later she checked her work: she was sure there wasn't quite enough foam and it didn't seem as hot anymore, but it should do.

"It's easy to be generous when you have enough money to throw about." She muttered at Mister Athos, who was waiting patiently by the counter, still typing restlessly on his phone. His eyes met hers, and she could swear it was amusement she saw in there. "Your coffee, sir." Anne smiled brightly, pretending she hadn't said anything just now.

"Thank you, milady." He answered, pretending she hadn't said anything just now either.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Plans that never end well**

"He really called you "milady"?" Lexa giggled and fell onto the large couch facing the window with an amazing view over London. Thank God for the penthouse they were currently staying in. Her head finding it's way into Anne's lap quickly.

"I'm serious! God, I don't think I've met such an uptight and self-absorbed man in my life." Anne ran her fingers through Lexa's short spiky hair. "From anyone else it would sound like an endearment of a sort, but from him it was like an insult. Like he was telling me I should know my place and behave like the nobody that I am."

Lexa smiled as the flex of Anne's fingers in her hair. "Aren't you reading too much into this, honey?" she kicked her Dolce Gabbana pumps off her feet and stretched languidly. "It's just some guy… Since when do you care?"

"I don't know. There was something about him. Like… royal. Like it was in his blood or something." Anne shrugged, "Which made it even more annoying of course."

"I hope you didn't spit in his coffee of anything?" Lexa smirked at her. "You can't get fired just yet."

"I know, I know. The mark came in as well by the way."

"God, Anne, why didn't you start with that one?" Lexa sat up, folding her legs under her like a child. "Did you manage?"

Anne pursed her lips. "He paid cash."

Lexa settled back down immediately. "Shit. So no credit card data." Silence took over the room. "Saracen is not going to be happy."

"He is never happy."

"True." Lexa sighed and winced. "Especially since I didn't achieve anything either. Except for the fact that my feet are killing me."

"Shit indeed." Anne winced at the idea of how this evening would turn out when Saracen found out about the fruitless day they had. "What happened?"

"I should have never worn those fucking shoes, but they called to me. It was like love at first sight and you should never believe in love because it will screw you over like those fucking shoes. That's what happened." Lexa smiled, but Anne's serious stare cut her off. "I tried, Anne. But they said the whole floor belonged to Pinon International and they weren't subletting. Fucking Saracen juts had to boast having an office on the 27th floor and it's exactly 27th floor we can't ever have! I tried everything and I mean EVERYTHING." she huffed, getting up and going to the kitchen. "Fuck, the fridge is empty and I'm starving!" She shouted from the kitchen and came back into the room, looking upset.

"Shall we go out?" Anne suggested, "I could grab an iPad and we could work on some ideas so that we can say something to Saracen when he begins to rip us to shreds."

Lexa winced at her words: "Well at least yours wasn't your fault." She took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Ok, yeah, you're right. But lets go out in style!"

Anne rolled her eyes - Lexa was way too used to the luxurious living they'd been enjoying for the last year. But she had such hope on her face it was hard to refuse her. "What do you have in mind?"

"Chiltern of course. And then maybe Tramp?"

"I hate Tramp." Anne frowned, getting up herself and stretching her sore back. "Fuck, being a barista is so taxing. It's always fool of presumptuous rich fools with no wit and no charm." she continued, heading for her bedroom. "I'd rather go to Box, it's full of rebels."

"Presumptuous rich rebels," Lexa teased her as Anne disappeared behind the door.

Anne's head popped back. "Presumptuous, but much more fuckable." She countered.

"True." Lexa said into space and headed to her own room to change, dialling Anne's number on her iPhone. "I'm wearing the silver Herve Leger. You've been warned!" She said into the phone when the brunette picked up.

"I'm wearing the red Balmain." Anne sounded smug over the phone.

"The slutty one with an open back?"

"That's the one."

"Bitch."

* * *

Ten minutes later Lexa emerged from her room clad in the grey dress with silver stripes that clung to her slim body like second skin. On her arm hung a black coat.

Anne was already waiting for her, the red dress as slutty as Lexa remembered, her long hair falling down her shoulders in lazy waves.

"Here." Lexa looked her up and down proudly. "I think my Maison Coat will look great with this dress. Put it on."

Anne did and the black oversized coat looked amazing, coming in stark contrast with a flowing daring dress underneath. "And here's a trick," Lexa winked at her and opened a zipper at the back of a coat from the ground up to the middle of her back, exposing the red skirt and a patch of bare skin underneath.

"Looks amazing, feels chilly." Anne checked herself in the mirror. "I can manage. I got you a coat as well, take a look on the couch." Lexa beamed and rushed to the couch. There a light silver oversize coat with a beautiful feather pattern was waiting for her.

"Oh my God, Anne, it is exquisite!" She hugged the coat to her chest. "I've never seen it before! Is it new?"

"It's yours." Anne smiled, sitting down on the couch and bending gracefully to put her black studded pumps on.

Lexa felt her cheeks redden. "You shouldn't have…"

"Oh, I had to! I was in such a mood after making coffee all day I just had to treat myself to a stroll in Harvey Nichols. And I saw this and I though of that dress of yours you always threaten me with so…"

Lexa's voice caught up in her throat. "Thank you, Anne, I…"

"Hey, don't make too much of it." Anne smiled lightly, but they both knew it wasn't meant to be nonchalant, it only meant to end this moment to avoid having them both burst into tears. Even in the luxury penthouse at the Ritz, dressed up in designer clothes and heading out to one of the best restaurants in town the small, uncalculated acts of kindness still felt so good it hurt even through all the layers of lies and armour they were constantly wearing.

Growing up in an orphanage would do that to you.

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A/N: I have some extras on my tumblr - the photos of their outfits and photos of Lexa - check it out on sweetlycasualdragon if you wish (#an irrevocable affair extras)


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